Today I am pleased to sign into law the Wireless Communications and
Public Safety Act of 1999. By making it easier to use wireless phones
to report emergencies, this bill could save thousands of lives every
year.

Nearly 100,000 times each day, someone uses a wireless phone to
make an emergency call. People with wireless phones can speed the
delivery of public safety services by providing rapid reports of car
crashes, incidents of aggressive or drunk driving, serious crimes, and
natural disasters. Getting rapid care to someone who is suffering from
a heart attack or is involved a car crash can mean the difference
between life and death.

The legislation I am signing today will improve emergency wireless
communications in several ways. First, it will make 9-1-1 the universal
emergency telephone number for wireless and "wireline" telephones across
the United States. Currently, there are 20 different emergency wireless
numbers in different states. Second, it will encourage statewide
coordination of the efforts of public safety and law enforcement
officials to protect our citizens and save lives. Finally, it will
increase private sector investment in emergency wireless services by
providing wireless companies with the same level of liability protection
that "wireline" telecommunications companies have.

I want to thank members of Congress, the wireless industry, public
safety officials, and medical professionals who worked together to pass
this important legislation.